1 8
2 5. Rivers—Tho principal rivers of Coorg are, the Kavéri which rising in the cx-
3 treme west, crosses the land, and forming a portion of the eastern boundary flows on to
4 Scringapatam. The Lakshmantirtha which rising among the net work of hills in the
5 extreme south, and fed by several large affluents flows north cast, and soon leaves Coorg to
6 find its way vz@ Hunastru to the Kavéri. Tho Barapolle which rising in tho Western
7 Ghits flings itself over some fine falls, and pursuing a circuitous course eventually leaves
8 Coorg at Kutampolle on the Cannanore ghat, and so to the Indian Ocean. Of tho afflu-
9 ents of the Kavéri, the finest is the Sunavati, north of Mercara. In the south cast are
10 two large streains, the Sirti and Nagar, which uniting beyond the frontier fall to the
11 Kabbani some thirty miles from Mysore. The Suliya rivor, also a considerable stream,
12 rises not far from Moercara, and runs parallel to the Mangalore ghat, to the Western
13 Coast. The Hémavati though forming a portion of the northern boundary is not a
14 Coorg river.
15 6. Principal Products of the Soil—Among these rice holds the first place. This
16 grain is extensively cultivated in the narrow valleys which overy where intersect the
17 land; their width varying according to the steopness of the country. ‘The other princi-
18 pal products are, timber, sandalwood and cardamoms.
19 7. Forests and their Distrébution—It may be safely asserted, that at no very remote
20 date nearly the whole of Coorg was covered with forest. ‘The summits of almost all the
21 hills are bare of tree vegetation, and this is invariably the case with the higher hills, es-
22 pecially in the ghats, tho sides of which are clothed with lofty forest with a dense
23 undergrowth of wild plantains, reeds, canes, small palms and cardamoms, both wild and
24 cultivated. Coming eastwards the forests gradually grow thinner, and change their
25 characteristics, till, at a distance of about ten miles or so from the crest of the ghats, the
26 country in South Coorg, is like an extensive and well wooded park, in which are scatter-
27 ed substantial and comfortable Coorg farmsteads and a few villages. <A little further
28 to the cast ferns disappear, and the bamboo district is reached. Here the forcst is more
29 open, and the trees smaller. Here too most of the finer coffee plantations are found,
30 though several large clearings have also been made in the heavy forests on the Manga-
31 lore ghat, and the upper portion of that leading to Cannanoro. Much of the valley of
32 the Kavéri is strangely void of trees, and the bamboo here projects itself far to the west.
33 North of Mercara the belt of dense western forest is narrower, soon passes into exceed-
34 ingly beautiful and very valuable deciduous forest, while in the extreme north all the
35 forest is deciduous, and interspersed with beautiful grassy glades and much sandal. In
36 the far south east, below the Birinani and Kurchi hills, the country lies low, being on
37 the same level as the adjoining Mysore forests, and contains much teak.
38 8. Tree Vegetation of these Forests—In the Western Ghats and intermediate country
39 the characteristic trees are *poon, ebony and other species of diospyros; *ralé, °dupa-
40 da; ‘irupu; °wild jack; gamboge, two or three kinds of mynisticas; *bellandi; and
41 the 7wood oil tree. In the east of the intermediate country, and in the bamboo district,
42 the characteristic trees are, *sampige, *nandi, blackwood, “honne, much “matti, ” borada
43 mara ; “dindiga; “kanagala: mangoe; and in the south castern portion much teak,
44 and " sigade, “bage and ” bilvara.
45 The jungles to the north of the Kavéri have but little bamboo in them as compa-
46 red with those to the south, and the terminalia bellerica, term. tomentosa and dindiga
47 are very common.
48 9. Brief Account of cach Talook and of the Chief Towns with special reference to the
49 sources whence the inhabitants derive their supplies of timber and other forest produce.
50 1Calophyllum Angustifolium. ? Canariwn strictum. 3 Vateria Malabaricum. * Mesua
51 (sp) ° Artocarpus hirsuta. “Cedrela toona. " Dipterocarpus levis. * Michelia chumpaka. ° Layer-
52 stremia microcarpa. ° Plerocarpus mprsupium. ™ Terminalia tomentosa. * Bombax malaba-
53 ricum. “ Conocarpus, latifolia. “ Dillenia pentagyna. * Schleischeru triguga. ™ Albizzia spe-
54 ciosa. ™ Albizzia odoralissuma.